TLK III: The Circle of Life Continues
by King Taka
Summary: With the death of Simba, Kovu and Kiara's coronation and cubs, Vitani becoming leader of the Lion Guard, Kion and Rani's cubs, and Janja becoming the new King of the Outlands, the Circle of Life continues on. But what happens when hatred arises, powerful enough to resurrect the vengeful spirits of Scar and Zira? Will the family stay one, or will the Circle of Life break forever?


**Finally, after 5 days awaiting, the long awaited chapter 1 has finally arrived. And if you're wondering why I call it Chapter 1? Welp, I felt like the previous episode didn't really deserve to be called a "chapter" rather than a pilot episode. And it's my fanfic so I make the rules. So THIS chapter is Chapter 1. And I'm sorry if the story-line is a bit junky in some places. I spent nearly a week writing this, and I really didn't want to continue. Plus, I have school in 2 days so I'll be very busy. The next episode will either likely focus on Kion and Rani's cubs, Rocco, Nyota, and Kamira.**

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

* * *

Chapter I: Misadventures and Plots

Time had passed since the birth of the cubs. The Pride Lands have never flourished even more. Kovu was now dealing with parenthood, something he was never trained for of course, given that his mother left Zira, for Scar, and Scar later died. Of course he always tried his best to support his cubs.

As did Kiara, who as the Queen Regent, was training her son to take her place as the next monarch to Pride Rock.

As for Shani, she occasionally hung out with her aunt Vitani, and cousin Tama, Vitani's adoptive daughter. Vitani would train Shani on how to be a fierce warrior, something Shani would be more than willing to do.

One morning, during the sun rise, Kiara stood out with her son on the horizon, reciting the same words that her father did to her.

"Everything the light touches, is our Kingdom. The Pride Lands. A Queen's time as ruler, rises and falls like the sun and moon. One day, the sun will set on me and Kovu's time, and will rise with you as the new King."

"Wow," Chaka said. "This will one day be my Kingdom?"

"Yes," replied the Queen. "All the lands the light touches."

"But mom," the young cub asked. "What about that dark area over there where Uncle Janja and Aunt Jasiri live?"

Kiara at first panicked a little as she knew what he was referring to. But she later calmed down, assuring herself that she would be safe.

"That's beyond our borders. But it belongs to someone else. You can go there, but you must be careful."

Kiara was still nervous. Although she knew about how the Outlanders reformed, she was still worried, as Chaka could get himself into danger.

"Fine then," said Chaka.

Out of nowhere, a brown blur dashed by, rolling Chaka down the hill and into a nearby bush.

"Ha!" yelped Shani. "Got you!"

"Oh come on no fair!" said Tama. "You flipped me down the hill. I only managed to pull you down!"

"Shani!" Kiara yelled to her daughter, but with no prevail as the argument continued.

"Well I got that move from grandma Nala! So ha!" exclaimed Shani.

"Well can you take this move?" Tama yelped as she leaped on Shani again, but this time they started pushing each other on their hind legs, trying to knock each other down until they heard a Roar. They both looked up and saw Shani's father, Kovu, along with Vitani glaring at them.

"Shani!" Vitani yelled. "You were supposed to be at your Lion Guard training lesson!"

"I am aunt Vitani! I'm training on how to fight," Shani sassily said.

"Shani, that's quite enough. I'm busy talking to your brother. He's going to be practicing organizing the lioness' hunts. You and Timiri are going to watch and learn."

"Because dear sister," Chaka cockily remarked, "I am training to be-" - Shani immediately bolted in, with an annoyed tone, "King of the Pride Lands."

"Yeah, yeah, I know all about that Chaka, you don't need to rub it in!"

"Well it's not my fault I take my job responsibly. Meanwhile you snuck off from your lessons just to play and-"

"Chaka!" Kiara scolded. "That's enough. Shani, you go back and train with your aunt Vitani. I'll continue the morning lesson."

"Yes mom," Shani said.

Shani continued her training with Vitani. She taught her several methods that her mother had taught her.

"And when attacking the enemy from above or using a sneak attack, always make sure you go head and claws first so you can push them down, and bite them to the ground. Claws first, bite down."

"Wow, this is amazing, aunt Vitani!" said Shani. Although the lessons themselves were never much, the thought about engaging in a battle was exhilarating. It made her want to go out and find someone to challenge. "Now teach me about the Roar!"

"Sorry Shani," the lioness said. "I can't teach you the Roar yet. You need to practice before you can get the Roar. It's far too powerful."

"But aunty," said Shani. "I'm already perfect at fighting. You saw how I tacked Tama and Chaka. Why can't I get it now?"

"Be patient! The Roar will be there when you're ready! Now that's all for now. My Guard and I will go off on patrol. Go stay with Aunt Tifu and Aunt Zuri."

Shani walked off to the cave where Tifu and Zuri were resting. They were the Queen's ladies in waiting, although they were very lazy and never did much. Occasionally when Vitani wasn't busy, they'd be babysitting Kiara's cubs.

"Aunt Tifu, Aunt Zuri!" the cub exclaimed.

"What is it now Shani?" Zuri annoyingly replied.

"Do you want to play with me?" asked Shani.

"Sorry young one, but we have plans. Why don't you play with Chaka?" Tifu replied.

"I can't. He's busy having King lessons. Meanwhile I'm having Lion Guard lessons and I can't even do the Roar yet?"

"Well maybe you can play in the Pride Lands as long as you don't go too far."

"I guess so."

Shani ran outside the cave to a world of adventure. She was basically her grandfather Simba when he was her age, exploring the Pride Lands, playing with other animals, and bouncing everywhere. Until she tripped on a rock and stumbled down the hill into a dust pile. She lifted her head, shook the dust from her eyes to see the low atmosphere. Her father told her stories of this place as well as her mother and brother. This was the Outlands. Shani instantly recognized this area and went over to visit Janja and Jasiri, wanting to find a playmight, and partly freaked out by the place.

"Hhhm, interesting," a nearby male voice said. Shani heard this and turned around to see a tiny black lizard, barely visible in the shadows. She instantly gave chase. The lizard ran along the rocks, but Shani was able to gain its scent, via Vitani's hunting and tracking lessons. Shani leapt on the rocky walls and went in for the pounce, but the lizard ducked out of the way in time, leaving Shani to claw herself on the wall and slide the way down, but not before biting the lizard by the tail and sending it down with her. During her fall, she clawed some loose rocks free, which knocked her off course, sending her landing a few feet from the wall, whilst the lizard was left trapped in the rock pile. Feeling guilty for the creature's death Shani continued on her way to the volcano, feeling there is nothing she could do.

Once she was out of sight, the lizard emerged from the rocks, coughing in pain and anger.

"UGH!" he hissed. If he was much bigger, he would've hunted that cub down and beat her with his tail. He slithered off again. He traveled for miles into the Outlands, dodging Jasiri's hyenas, and Mzingo's flight. Finally He went into a dark and dusty area of the Outlands. It was once ruled by Zira and her lionesses, but after the death of the evil Outsider Queen, and the union of the Outsiders and the Pridelanders, it remains dormant. It is filled with termites, with a terrible atmosphere. Even Jasiri herself never dared to enter the area after the peace was made, for anyone who risked going in there would risk starvation. It was nicknamed 'The Shadowland' as Jasiri did not want anything to do with the Hell that was that land.

* * *

There, in a small cave within the termite mounds the leader of the skinks, Shupavu slithered around waiting for information, plotting against her greatest enemies. Shupavu and her snake ally, Ushari had teamed up with the evil hyenas of the Outlands to revive the ghost of Scar to kill Kion and take over the Pride Lands, and had partaken in the final battle for the Pride Lands. However, in the heat of the battle, she and her army were flung aside in the volcano by Kion and his forces, and left for dead. Unbeknownst to all of them, she survived, and witnessed Scar being defeated by Kion, and Ushari being killed by Bunga, Kion's best friend, as well as Jasiri's coronation as the ruler of the Outlands. Refusing to let go of her loyalty to Scar, she lead the skinks into self exile within the Shadowlands. And now that the lions who supported Scar were all gone, she was looking for a new plan to gain leverage against the Pride Lands and the Outlands.

"Ugh!" she moaned. "It's hopeless! Ever since that slobbery, mangy, stupid poacher, betrayed us for that so-called 'Outland Queen', that stupid cub destroyed Scar and our chance to take over the Pride Land, and that smelly badger murdered my partner, the Pride Lands' defenses have risen, our army has abandonded us, and now the Outlands and the Pride Lands have been all too difficult for us to conquer. And now look at me. Practically banished into these dry, barren, disgusting, pathetic, termite infested, OUTLA-" her ranting was interrupted by a yell

"Shupavu!" cried Njano, Shupavu's younger brother and henchmen.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy!?"

"Yes, but it's urgent. Nyeusi has been spying on the Outlanders and has received some information which you might want to know."

"Nyeusi," said the leader of the skinks, "What news do you have?"

Nyeusi hissed, giving interest to the skink leader.

"Blast!" yelled the female skink. "That treacherous, traitorous, backstabbing little tramp! That pathetic excuse of a soldier! That was our plan to take down the Pride Lands! All this time, he has been strutting around the Outlanders like he's their King, but nothing will change his past!"

Nyeusi hissed again in Shupavu's ear, which cooled her anger and transformed it into curiosity?

"So? Zira and Simba are dead? Batani, or however you say it, is the leader of the Lion Guard? And Kiara is the new Queen with two cubs, one of which is in the Outlands?"

The black skink nodded his head in approval.

"Ah, I see. Welp listen up you fools! Go into the Outlands and spy on Princess Shani. Tell me immediately if anything occurs." The 3 of the skinks of Shupavo's group nodded their heads in approval and left for the Outlands.

"Those foolish Pride Landers and treacherous Outlanders will rue the day they betrayed and disposed of me, took away my one chance at power over the Pride Lands and left me for dead. I vow on the fallen spirit of Scar, and on the grave of Ushari that I will revive the chaos and vengeance that once spread across the Pride Lands years ago, and finally take control of the Circle of Life once and for all!"

Shupavu and the other skinks laughed evilly onto the horizon as the 3 skink spies crept off into the Outlands.

* * *

"Uncle Jania! Aunt Jasiri!" Shani yelped as she entered the hyenas' den. The atmosphere was heavy but it was still cool and natural. Previously the hyenas' den was an active volcano with rivers of lava haunting it, with the caldera being a giant lava pit, the same pit where the ghost of Scar was resurrected, and later destroyed, and where Ushari was thrown in, where he was never heard from again. Ever since that day, the lava pit, which was the source of Scar's connection to the world was destroyed, hardening into igneous rock.

"Shani?" Jasiri said. "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't you be back at home with Kiara and Kovu?" Janja asked.

"I came here to play with you. I was a bit lonely," replied Shani.

"Well I hope your parents know where you are, because if they don't you could be in a lot of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah," said Shani as she ran into the cave.

"W-w- THAT'S MY DEN!" Janja yelled. The two hyenas gave chase to Shani as she trampled all over the hyenas, which sent them in a panic. The chaos distracted them from finding the young cub. She rode along the den with such excitement that she didn't realize she was nearing the ledge above the caldera. She attempted to halt herself, but she tripped and found herself stumbling over the edge, landing on the hard rock with a thud.

"Ow, my head," Shani said, echoing in the cave. "Wow, I have an echo! Hello! [Hello… hello…. Helloooo…..]" A thought then popped up in Shani's head.

"What if I find my Roar here? And it will be so powerful that everyone can hear it!"

Shani started growling, which was amplified by the volcano's width. She growled louder and louder and the noise became more like a lion's roar. The skinks were spying on the cub near the top of the volcano's opening as she kept growling. They decided to have a little fun with this cub and use their tails to throw small rocks and dust at her.

"Who's there?" she asked. When she looked one way, a skink went the other way and leapt on her, which provoked her. They would often bite at her, which didn't hurt, but irritated her.

"Hey! Back off lizards! Do you know who I am? I am Princess Shani! Daughter of Queen Kiara and King Kovu, and the future Protector of the Pride Lands! I will one day be a fierce warrior!"

"Ha!" cried one of them. Look at you. A little cub being attacked by lizards! Face it! You're absolutely nothing.

Shani's blood boiled with anger as the skinks taunted her. Never in her life did she feel such an urge to attack. Finally it burst out like a broken dam. She leapt into the air, using her claws to swat one skink towards a rock, and later pouncing on another skink, forcing him down with her claws until it was suffocated. The other skinks lept in from above trying to cover her eyes, but Shani was quick and clawed them in mid air where they were slammed against the rock hard ground.

"You messed with the wrong lioness!"

Shani gave them all a deathly glare as dark clouds loomed in. The skinks had seen this before. It had been years ago, but they knew. Jasiri and Janja managed to break through the chaos to see Shani in the pit with the skinks. Janja instantly recognized them.

"Skinks?!" Janja cried.

The skinks looked up and saw Janja and his wife Jasiri. They haven't forgotten about how Janja betrayed them for the Pride Landers. They hissed at him, who growled back. Shani took this as the opportunity to Roar at them. A powerful Roar, fueled by anger, and echoes filled the volcano. Jasiri knocked Janja out of the way in time before he got blasted out of the volcano and to his death. The skinks however, were slammed violently against the wall, breaking several of their bones. But the Roar was so powerful that the air from the volcano was sent upwards, sending the skinks flying into the air at breakneck speed.

Once Shani stopped, she couldn't believe it. Was that the Roar? Did she just do that? So many questions! But these were all halted when Janja emerged from the incident, and boy was he mad.

"That's it! I am taking you to your parents this instant!"

Janja carried Shani in his teeth by her knape and carried her out of the den. Mzingo watched the incident from above and was riddled with fear.

"The skinks?" he said to himself. "We haven't seen them in a year ever since the war with Scar. But if they're still alive all these years, it could spell trouble for the Outlands. I better alert the Prime Minister!"

Mzingo flew to Jasiri's cave to alert her.

Back at Pride Rock, Chaka was play fighting with his friend Timiri. Chaka leapt on her, but she used her hind legs to flip him off her. But just at that moment, Chaka used his hind legs to bounce back up and pin her to the ground.

"Pinned ya!" he said. "I got that one from my grandmother."

A worried Kiara came into the scene.

"Chaka, have you seen your sister, Shani? It's getting late and she's going to partake in the hunt."

"I haven't mom. I thought she was with aunt Vitani!" Chaka replied.

"She was but once her training ended, I couldn't find her. But let's go ask Vitani."

They went to the lair of the Lion Guard and asked Vitani where the Princess was. Vitani told her of how she left her with Tifu and Zuri. And that's where they were next.

"You let her run away?!" Kiara exclaimed.

"We didn't let her run away. We just told her to go off and explore the Pride Lands. And specifically told her NOT to run away," Zuri replied. "Clearly we either didn't make it clear enough to her, or she didn't listen."

"Zuri's right. It's not our fault she deliberately disobeyed us," Tifu replied defensively. "And I'm not even that disappointed in her. She's just like you when you were young. Remember?"

Kiara was struck by these words. She remembered the day she met Kovu, and how she used to love to sneak off. No, she thought. I grew up. I'm not that little cub anymore. But she couldn't escape those thoughts.

"Well then," she sighed. "Let's go get her."

"No need to!" a nearby voice said. It was Janja, who walked up to Kiara with Shani in his teeth. He dropped her to the dusty ground near Kiara's feet.

"Your daughter snuck off towards the Outlands, messed around with some skinks, and Roared in the volcano! She nearly got me killed!" yelled Janja.

"Is this true Shani?" asked Kiara.

"Yes, it's true mom," said Shani. "But the skinks! They were attacking me! I got really mad, and I Roared at them!"

Kiara couldn't believe it. That was Shani who used the Roar? She thought it was Vitani! So many questions ... but she finally said something.

"Shani. I don't want you sneaking off and don't talk to strangers! Now go to the cave. You won't leave Pride Rock for a week do you hear me," Kiara said with a calm tone.

"Yes mom," Shani whispered as she sulked into the cave.

Vitani and Kiara turned their attention to Janja.

"Now Janja, what is this about skinks?" asked the Queen.

"The skinks. Of course! They were all around her, on her head, covering her eyes, nipping her tail? I noticed straight away and they looked at me as if they wanted to kill me! I couldn't believe it. We thought they were dead!" Janja explained.

"Skinks? What do you mean skinks?" Vitani asked.

"Vitani," said Kiara. "Remember when Kion and I told you about how Scar returned?"

"Yeah," said Vitani. "We had no idea because we were too far away and busy training Kovu."

"Well the army consisted of hyenas, jackals, vultures, a monitor lizard, scorpions, crocodiles, snakes ... and skinks. After Scar was defeated, the snake, Ushari was killed. The others accepted defeat and lived under Jasiri's rule. But we never heard anything concerning the skinks. We assumed they died in the battle. But if they're alive and they attacked Shani, they could look for revenge."

"Well as much as I hate those bloody lizards for trying to kill me and my clan, I have to admit, apart from what they did to Shani, they're not really dangerous. In fact, my crew and I just got ourselves a new midnight snack," said Janja, licking his chops.

Vitani intervened urgently.

"Hold up! You said there was a monitor lizard, and a snake right?"

"Yeah," Kiara said.

"Were they in the battle too?"

"Actually," Janja said. "No. They left us a long time ago."

**Flashback: (Taking place directly after the fight scene in **_**The Scorpion's Sting**_**)**

"Well," Scar said angrily "It seems the war has just begun."

"W-what do you mean Scar?" asked Janja, still shaken up from Kion's Roar of the Elders.

"I underestimated my great-nephew. He truly is powerful. He carries the same power I had at his age. Before I lost it. If he grows too powerful, he might become powerful enough to defeat me and destroy my chance to take vengeance against Simba."

"What are we going to do Scar?" asked the young hyena.

"We train again!" yelled the fiery ghost. "From this day forth, we shall prepare ourselves for the next battle against the Lion Guard."

The army was intrigued by this, with Kenge and Sumu lurking in the shadows.

"In 2 days, we will strike at Kilio Valley. We'll burn it down to the ground. That will bring chaos among the elephants. And with that chaos, you will have a chance to finally feast upon those delicious elephants, AND to defeat the Lion Guard."

"But Scar," questioned Reirei. "Aren't we worried Kion will use his Roar against us?"

"Kion can't use the Roar if there is a stampede of elephants running away from you and the fire? And if he uses the Roar within the fire, I can appear in it and spread it."

"So if what you're saying is correct, we should be able to kill those elephants, and destroy Kilio Valley? Well then, I'm on board!" said Janja.

The rest of the army besides Kenge and Sumo agreed. Soon they had made their stand.

"You can take that stupid valley. We are out!" hissed Kenge.

"What?!" yelled the ghost. "You can't leave! We need your venom to take down the Lion Guard!"

"Exactly!" said Ushari. "And Sumu, while the Guard is down, you can use your poison to finish them off for good."

"I will not risk my life againjust because you need me to kill some stupid lion cub." scorned the scorpion. "Look at me. My exoskeleton can only handle so much. It's a wonder that the Roar didn't crack me open. But one more hit, and I am done for."

"And I will NOT risk getting hit by that blasted Roar again. I've been hit twice Scar. TWICE! That cub is too strong for me. This is a suicide mission! You will get us all killed with this plan!" yelled the venomous lizard.

Scar boiled with anger at his own minions' treachery.

"ARE YOU DOUBTING MY POSITION!?" he yelled. "Do you even know who I am?! I was the once proud King of the Pride Lands, before-" -Kenge mockingly bolted in Scar's rant.

"Before Simba, the lion cub which you failed to kill came back and threw you into the flames that manifest you today. Simba. The lion who is the father of a lion cub who you yourself have said is powerful enough to destroy us all!"

"How dare you defy me Kenge! This is your last warning! Keep your mouth shut, and start training."

"What can you do!? You're just a hump of flames which can't even escape a volcano, and need minions to do your dirty work. Your weakness is the reason we got into this mess."

"I OWN YOU KENGE! YOU WORK FOR ME! YOU SERVE ME!1 I MAY NOT BE A KING ANYMORE, BUT I CONTROL YOU! YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

Scar roared with all his might, sending a wave of flames towards Kenge. He and Sumu, ducked out of the way in time. Scar glanced at them, ready to send another wave, but he soon cooled like a cloud.

"Either obey me, or be forever banished from the Outlands."

"You can't banish us, Scar," Sumu proclaimed. "Only a King can do that!"

Scar's pride soon grew as soon as these words were muttered out.

"Look around you Sumu. Every Outlander, every animal banished to these wastelands by my nephew. Everyone who walks this very ground. My servants, minions, slaves. In my control. I am in control of these lands and inhabitants. Anyone who defies me, or shows any sign of alliance with those who are against me gets destroyed. A good example being a few friendly hyenas toward the Lion Guard. My faithful hyenas managed to eliminate them. Right Janja?"

Scar turned his attention to the male hyena, who stuttered, but then said "Yeah Scar. We got rid of them real good. We threw them into a steam vent. Didn't see them anywhere in the Outlands after that!"

Phew, Janja thought. He knew that if Scar knew the truth about how the Lion Guard rescued Jasiri from the steam vent, Scar would most likely banish him from the Outlands as well. Once Scar turned his direction back to Kenge and Sumu, Janja went to a slight corner, wanting to stay out of the violence.

"So you see Kenge," explained Scar. "You have no choice. One way or another, I always get what I want."

Kenge and Sumu heard Scar's words. Deep inside they were afraid. But in their hearts, they knew that they would rather prefer being homeless over fighting a battle they had already lost.

"Get step forward you fools!" Scar yelled.

"Make me!" Kenge spat.

"Step forward! I am your leader. YOU MUST DO AS I SAY!"

Kenge hissed at the fiery figure, and spat his tongue out at him.

"Ah," Scar slyly remarked. "So that's the game eh? Mutiny, ah. Insubordination. Well, however. I don't require your respect. Only your obedience."

Kenge and Sumu continued to stand strong even with the flaming ghost of the former King of the Pride Lands threatening him. Scar took matters into his own paws - or at least, if his ghost form had paws, or if his paws weren't ripped apart by his so-called "friends" the hyenas.

"Well then, I'm afraid we'll have to do things the hard way," Scar said. "Army of Scar, attack!"

Scar's army assembled and advanced upon the two traitors.

"You stay behind. I will take care of this," Sumu said, as he prepared his stinger. As he walked towards Janja, Mzingo swooped in and grabbed him with his talons by the stinger.

"Put me down!" The scorpion yelled.

"Alright then. After I fly you out of the Outlands" said Mzingo. The vulture flew quickly, not wanting to miss Kenge's execution. He went to a deep area of Outlands, just along its border of the forbidden Shadowlands. He flew as high as he could, and finally, dropped the scorpion, and watched in delight as he fell to his apparent death in the shadows below. Mzingo flew back to the volcano.

"What is of our little friend?" asked Scar.

"Well, I went to the deepest part of the Outlands, and I dropped him from a high ledge. He's probably either still falling, or he's been cracked open already," replied the vulture.

"Now, you see, Kenge what happens to those who betray and defy me."

"You may be able to exile me, but you haven't heard the last of me Scar!" Kenge cursed. "And don't expect me to forget the rest of you. I should bite all of you now, but since that cub, is probably going to blast you into dust, I guess I shouldn't waste my venom. You won't win, and you will all die. And if I *ever* see any of your faces again, you will regret the day you crossed paths with Big Bad Kenge!"

Kenge slithered off into the night, until he was out of sight. Scar stoically watched and then he coldly whispered, "Kill him."

The entire army was on the run. Mzingo was up in the skies trying to search for him, whilst the jackals and hyenas searched the ground tracking him down. The skinks were looking in the cracks trying to search for any traces. After almost an hour, the army gave up, assuming he had already escaped the Outlands.

"Well, he's gone. But if he ever comes back, we'll have him as a midnight snack," Janja said.

"Midnight?" Kiburi asked. "I'd prefer a late night snack."

"A nice treat for dinner maybe," Reirei added on.

"Well you can forget that. Because of our failure to capture and eliminate Kenge, the chances of us having him for a snack at any time of a day are less than the size of Sumu."

"Well then," Janja said. "How about we train, then sleep, then wait until sunrise tomorrow. With any luck, Kenge will be asleep and then we can wake him up - with our teeth!"

The other Outlanders all cheered in agreement as they headed towards the volcano.

**(Outside of Janja's POV)**

What the army didn't know was that Kenge was hiding in a small cave. He found a way to hide his scent in the dust, and slip into a small crack in the rocks, where not even Janja could sniff him out. As soon as he was positive that the army was out of sight, he slipped out of the hole, brushed the dust off and went on his way. He knew that he was truly done for. He couldn't stay in that place for long, for they would hunt him down. He couldn't return and try and win back Scar's safety, or else he'd be killed. Eventually, he decided that the only choice of action was to go as far as he could, for he imagined a natural death, or death by starvation, less cruel than death by a battle. He sniffed around, trying to find any carcass of another poor animal who was unlucky. When he sniffed around, he felt something. Something small and skittery. Out of the shadows came Sumu.

"Sumu," questioned the big lizard. "You're alive?"

"Yes my friend, I am alive. That pathetic vulture should've seen where he dropped me instead of having faith in myself. He thought I died, but a dead tree broke my fall."

"Scar sent his army out to kill me! I barely escaped with my life, but now we can't go back, nor can we stay here. At sunrise, Janja is going to hunt us down."

"Scar has taken over the Outlands. We're not safe as long as we walk these borders. While the sun is still setting, we have to move to where they won't find us."

That night, Kenge and Sumu began their journey across the Outlands. It was a long journey, and they could only find some food to last the night. Finally, they entered the Shadowland, miles away from the Outlands. They knew it was safe.

"They will never find us here," said the scorpion.

After exploring the area, they discovered a group of lions were sleeping in a termite mound. They crept past the lionesses, and managed to find a rock formation far away from the termite territory. It was the perfect resting spot for Kenge and even better for Sumu.

"Finally, we're safe," Kenge said.

"Yes," replied Sumu. "But let's make a promise. The next time we see that pathetic army, or that cub, we will make them pay for this."

"Right. We may be forced to exile, but Simba won't live forever. Kion will be crushed. Scar's spirit will fall. And that army will be destroyed forever. We will have our revenge."

**(End of flashback)**

"Wait!" Kiara said. "If what you're saying is true, then does that mean Kenge could still be out there?"

"It's possible? We never found Kenge the morning afterwards. We thought he got lucky and ran away while he had the chance. But it's been so long," said Janja.

"But if the skinks managed to survive all this time, then maybe Kenge could too!" Vitani said, joining in. "And if this 'Kenge' character really is still alive, then it means he's still out there. We're not safe as long as he's still on the loose!"

"That big lizard was able to take down the entire Lion Guard. If he returns to the Outlands, he could kill us all," Janja proclaimed. "The Outlands aren't safe."

"Ok then," said Kiara. "Do you think you could convince Jasiri to raise up your defenses?"

"I'll try. Hopefully she'll agree," said the hyena. "Wish me luck!"

The hyena ran out of the cave back into the Outlands

Kiara and Chaka walked into the cave where Shani was resting. Whilst Chaka didn't care too much, Kiara showed concern. She remembered how her father raised her, and used that to recite the words in her head of what she was going to say to her daughter.

"Shani," she said. "Have you thought about what you've done?"

"I did mom, I'm sorry," said the young cub.

"What you did was disobedient and very stupid. But to be very honest, I was just like you at that age."

"You were?"

"Yes. I would try to sneak off all the time. In fact, I snuck off once and that's how I met your father."

Shani and Chaka were intrigued by their mother's past.

"But after that, I then took my responsibilities more seriously. And you could say I was a little bit full of myself," the Queen chuckled to herself.

"Oh so you were just like Chaka!" Shani yelled. Chaka growled to himself a little bit.

"Ok you two. What I want both of you to know is that I want you to take your responsibilities seriously, but never let that get in the way of who truly you are inside. We are all a part of the Circle of Life."

"Alright mom," Chaka said.

Kiara smiled, and gave both of her children kisses, and nuzzling them. This was exactly how she felt when her father gave her that talk at her age. Her father. All she could think about. Ever since he passed on the throne to her, she has missed him every so. He always told her that he'd be watching over her in the stars. Oh how she wished of his presence still here. He'd be proud. Proud of his daughter for taking his place in the Circle of Life. If only he was there to see his grandcubs. As the sun set, she continued to feel this sad heavy feeling in her heart. As if a piece of her left, but she noticed far too late. She went out into the evening sky and saw one star, the first to shine in the upcoming light.

"Daddy?" she whispered into the sky. "I know you said you wouldn't be here forever, but are you here at least now? Give me a sign, please. I've missed you from the day you died at my paws. I just want to see you again. Please."

Kiara hung her head down, crying herself a river. Her cubs noticed her sadness and came to comfort her.

"Mother," asked Chaka. "A-are you alright? We saw you were sad."

Kiara looked down and saw her children looking up at her concerned.

"It's, it's alright Chaka. Go back to bed."

"No!" he cried. "There's something wrong, and we need to know. We deserve to know!"

Kiara knew there was no way out of this one. She had to tell the truth.

"Kids I-it's complicated. It happened a long time ago."

"What was it?" asked Shani.

Kiara began to tell her children the story of the Lion King, Simba. Of how he ruled Pride Rock alongside Nala, and how he passed on and became one of the Great Kings of the Past. She struggled to hold back her tears of the past, as did her cubs when they discovered the truth about their deceased grandfather.

"That's what happened?" asked Chaka.

"Yes, Chaka. It's true. He died right next to me. And I made him a promise. I promised that I would take his place as Queen of the Pride Lands."

"I'm sorry mom. We had no idea," sniffed the Prince. "But doesn't that mean you'll-" he failed to hold back a bridge containing all his tears.

"Ssh, my cubs. I know it hurts. It always will. But, let me tell you something my father told me and my brother, your uncle Kion. Look at the stars. The Great Kings, Queens, and Lion Guard leaders of the Past looks down on us in those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those Kings will always be there to guide you."

The cubs looked up at the stars and saw a bright star, one that stood out above the rest. Kiara noticed this and looked up to see the clouds forming. The cubs stood behind her in fear as the figure grew bigger and bigger. Kiara had no fear, for she knew what it was.

"Kiara," Simba said. "Are you alright?"

"Daddy?!" Kiara exclaimed. She felt like she was brought to life. Her own father whom she saw die at her paws was speaking to her in front of her own eyes.

"Kiara, my little girl, I'm so proud of you. I can't believe that little cub I raised would grow up to become such a proud Queen with two cubs," the ghost of Simba said.

"Oh my goodness," Chaka said. "A-are you?"

"Yes Chaka, I am your grandfather." replied the ghost.

"We've heard a lot about you Simba," Shani added on.

"And I've been watching the both of you. You, both of you are about to embark on a great journey throughout the Circle of Life. Chaka, son of Queen Kiara, King of the Pride Lands, and Shani, daughter of Kovu, leader of the Lion Guard."

"You think we can do it?" said Chaka. "I mean, I've heard about you, and how you defeated Scar, and ruled the Pride Lands. And mother always does a great job following in your paw-prints. At first I couldn't wait to be King, but now I'm not so sure if I can do as well as you and mother. I'm…. I'm scared."

"Ah, so you're worried about what is yet to come Chaka. Well, let me tell you something my father told me. Being brave doesn't mean you look for trouble. But when trouble does arise, you handle it like a true leader. And you know not to back down."

"So you think I can be a good King?"

"Yes, you will. As long as you trust yourself and remember who you are. And Shani, you must support your brother on his journey, especially as a King."

"Alright grandfather," Shani said.

'"Remember who you all are," Simba said, quoting his father. "Kiara, my daughter and the one true Queen. Chaka, my grandson, the Prince of the Pride Lands. And Shani, my granddaughter, and the leader of the Lion Guard."

"I love you father," Kiara shouted to the sky.

"I love you all too"

The ghost of Simba smiled as he faded away into the nighttime sky, with his voice only remaining in the wind.

"So as you see cubs," Kiara said. "We are all a part of the great Circle of Life. We are one."

The cubs went back to their den, with their hopes and dreams higher than they were before. Kiara continued to look into the sky, this time crying tears of joy.

"It's the Circle of Life," she said.

* * *

**I kinda regret how sloppy this is. I worked my butt off for 5 days and in the end I said [bleep] it, I'm finishing it here. I hope the next episode doesn't dissappoint. But yeah, I always wondered where Kenge and Sumu were after that episode so I showed a flashback, which I think is the best part of the episode. And yeah, we see Kiara and Kovu's cubs! Credit to the artist TC-19 for inspiring me with her characters, Koda, Asha, and Leah. **

**Fun Fact: Chaka and Shani, were both working names for Kiara. A rumor is speculated that in TLK 2, Simba was originally supposed to have a son, Chaka, as well as a daughter, Shani. Chaka would've been the cub held up at the end of the first film. However, no evidence has been shown for this, and likely a rumor started by Internet writers, so the likely other choice is that Chaka was a working name for Kiara. I originally named Shani, "Aisha" which meant "life" in another language, but I felt Shani fit this better.**

**I'm really sorry for not adding Kovu, or Nala in this for instance. I really wanted to, but I'm not sure where I could've put them. If anyone reviews this and doesn't like how I gave Kovu and Nala the shaft in this, please advice me where I could've put them because I really need the feedback. **

**And yeah, there are a LOT of references to the original film, the sequel, and the pilot episode of _The Lion Guard_. I based Chaka's personality off of Kiara's in TLG. Personally, I feel conflicted about her personality in that. On one hand, I feel like her wanting to become Queen is a sign of maturity of her, which has a stronger meaning considering the Kovu and Kiara plot; Kovu and Kiara both start off as disobedient cubs who meet and becomes friends of one another. But then their feuding parents split them apart and then they each train their offspring to be what they want them to be - Kovu a killer, and Kiara, a Queen. I think this comes naturally. On the other hand, they made her VERY unlikable in the process, which is one of the reasons I hated the "Can't Wait to be Queen" episode. So I decided that I'd make her son the same way since yes, it would make him unlikable, but you would see he'd inherit it from his mother, and plus, it would be better to be introduced to an unlikable character than seeing a previous likeable character BECOME an unlikeable character. And yes, I've said 'likeable' and 'unlikeable' so much to the point where it has lost ALL meaning whatsoever. And I just HAD to add in Simba's ghost. It's just soooo powerful and amazing. Yes, it's a carbon copy of Mufasa's ghost, but Idgaf, it's just so amazing. I HAD to put it in. No matter HOW lazy I was,**

**There were a LOT of scenes which I considered putting in which I left out 1,000% because of laziness, which I fully blame myself.**

**1\. I originally wanted a scene where Kovu yells at Shani for disobeying Tifu and Zuri, and orders her to enter the cave. The main reason I intended that was to show how Kovu inherited his mother's aggressiveness, which adds onto his nervousness about being a father I pointed out in the beginning of the chapter, as well as that, it will have an effect on Kovu throughout the series. My only other guess as to why I deleted it was that I disliked how violent Kovu was in the scene. But then again, I could've had both Kiara and Kovu scolding her, but each of them carrying their parents' traits (Kiara being reasonable and over-protective whilst Kovu is being aggressive with a dark under-tone).**

**2\. I planned a scene where Shani is still in the cave and grounded, where her grandmother Nala comes in and tells her that Shani was just like Kiara at that age, and then proceeded to tell her the truth about her grandfather's death. Again, too lazy to make it, although I do like how Kiara admits it to her cubs. It shows a greater sense of trust, and it kinda makes the message better.**

**3\. There was a scene after Janja left Pride Rock which I wanted SO BADLY to add in but I felt ruined the pacing, so it happened off-screen. After Janja came back to the Outlands, she and Mzingo tell Janja their concern since the skinks return, and Janja would proceed to tell them of the possibility of Kenge's return, forcing them to take drastic measures on a semi-cliff hanger.**

**4\. This is a scene which I half-regret cutting out and half-don't. I wanted a scene where Nyeusi tells Shupavu of the skinks' deaths, and Shupavu instantly realizes that it's the Roar of the Elders, bringing her further into insanity. I think it would've been great to add in, but I had no idea where to put it. **

**5\. And lastly, I wanted to add in a scene where the skinks bump into Kenge and Sumu, who were alive all this time in the Shadowland. Initially, Kenge wants revenge against the skinks, but then the skinks tell him everything. I would've then shown a flashback to Battle for the Pride Lands of how Ushari got killed, and Janja betrayed them and how they cannot return to the Outlands. Finally, Kenge would've agreed to join the skinks' plan of revenge. I wanted this to be the cliffhanger, but GAAAH the Simba's ghost scene was SOOO good, I could NOT put anything afterwards. Buutt.. for the sake of my sanity, I will say that this scene actually did happen, so by the next chapter, the skinks will already be in cahoots with Kenge and Sumu.**

**Stay tuned for Episode 2, coming out sometime either this or next month.**


End file.
